TO SAVE A CHILD 419
To Save a Child
1 For every morning that you wake up and eat breakfast, there are 840 million people be-
ginning their daily struggle with chronic, persistent hunger. For every morning that you have the
privilege of going to class, 250 million children head off to work where many will make less than
$1 a day. And for every day that this vicious cycle continues, there are 24,000 fewer people in our
world.
2 Millions of children living in developing countries cannot depend on their parents to sup-
4 The demand for organizations such as Compassion International in developing countries is
so great because of two main reasons: poverty and poor education. According to the World Bank
Web site, it is poverty that causes 250 million children to work full- or part–time jobs while they
should be receiving an education. In Thailand, for example, the typical 11- to 15–year–old boy or
girl is forced to work an average of 50 hours every week. Similarly, in Bangladesh, children who
do not attend school work as long, if not longer, hours than adults by the time they reach just 13
years of age.
5 According to a brochure sent to me by Compassion International, the average family in-
come in Central America is $50 per month. Unfortunately, the cost of food in Central America is
the same as in the United States. Because so few families can afford the cost of groceries, half of
all children living in Central America are malnourished. Twenty percent of them are so severely
malnourished that improved diet alone will not cure them.
6 Of course the problem isn’t limited to Central America. The Hunger Project Web site
420 PERSUASIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
7 According to the Hunger Project, “the best way to reduce hunger is through education be-
cause the educated are best able to break out of the cycle of poverty that causes hunger.” Once
again, let’s look at Central America. Most of the children in Central America are not required to go
to school. And if they do go, it is rare that they ever make it past the 6th grade because even public
education is too expensive. This cycle is never-ending. If children do not become educated, they
will never be able to make enough money to break out of the cycle of poverty. However, this vi-
cious cycle can be broken with the help of Compassion International.
8 Compassion International was founded in 1952 by the Reverend Everett Swanson as a re-
sult of working with orphans in Korea. Swanson established a program through which people
could sponsor needy Korean children for a few dollars a month. Those children would receive
benefits that included food, clothing, education, shelter, and health care. Since then, Compassion
International has expanded to 22 countries and has assisted more than 500,000 children across the
globe.
9 Compassion International works in this way: In each community where they sponsor chil-
TO SAVE A CHILD 421
422 PERSUASIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
To Save a Child
Commentary
A persuasive speech seeking immediate action, “To Save a Child” is an excellent example of how to use
Monroe’s motivated sequence. Here is a synopsis of the speech.
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to help children worldwide by contributing to Compassion
International.
Central Idea: Contributing to an organization such as Compassion International can help break the
cycle of poverty that affects millions of children.
Method of Organization: Monroe’s motivated sequence
Introduction: The introduction consists of paragraphs 1–3. In paragraph 1, the speaker accomplishes
TO SAVE A CHILD 423